Getting signed as a rapper with a degree???

[J-malice]

aight heres the deal. im plannin on goin to a school for recording arts and getting a degree. so my question is after i get the degree lets say i decide to try an get signed...would i get a bigger advance then someone of equal talent as me because i have more to ocntribute (engineerin, production, beat makin, Dj'in,)

holla back

 

[Ominous]

Just like in the real world....a degree is just a stamp of approval, they are still gonna need to see some proof in the pudding. I have seen some people toss around resumes chalked up full of achievements and awards but some people don't care about all that, they wanna see what you can do.

Showing someone in the industry you are trained in the arts is just gonna set them up to expect a lot out of you, but when it is all said and done...the question is...Are You Any Good?

I know you have run into people talking mad sh*t about all the equipment they got and then you hear their beats and its like.... "You made THAT beat on THIS equipment? Sounds like you need to practice making more beats". Or sometimes you get the guy who is bragging about how long he has been in the game. "Man I have been making beats for 10 years" Okay...why haven't you blown up yet if you know so much?

I think it will help you get noticed a lot easier because it shows how serious you are but the quality of you work is what's gonna determine how much you get. Like you said...if you are of EQUAL talent, why should you get more money if the end result is the same? If you get the same amount in the advance, I think you will come out the richer because you won't need to spend as much money as the next man since you can do most of your stuff yourself and don't have to pay other people for things like engineering.

Good luck in school...when you get done...I'm sure you'll be rippin' sh*t son...

 

[Guevara]

DELETE THiS

 

[Guevara]

IF U DO HAVE A DEGREE CHANCES ARE U HAVE AN EXTENDED BUSiNESS KNOWLEDGE, oR ATLEAST MoRE THAN YoUR AVERAGE RAPPER/PRoDUCER...THEY MiGHT BE AFRAiD oR iNTiMiDATED BY YoU.
PRiORiTY oNCE ToLD RASS KASS THAT HE WAS Too SMART FoR HiS oWN GoOD WHiLE TRYiN TO RE-NEGoTiATiNG HiS CoNTRACT. (SEE HOW WELL THAT WENT)

 

[bigdmakintrax]

Man in the game, if you want to market yourself as a rapper keep that to yourself, if you are really jockying for other positions in the industry that may require more BRAIN substance then flaunt it when necessary....in the battle pit of rap and getting signed it won't really amount to a hill of BEANS because you aren't using that asset to compete against other rappers and spitters just skillz and wordplay even though a degree might help you with pronunciation and words to an extent, and depending on what major you have give you some understanding of business and maybe some of your contracts and processes.......LOL I have one I keep it to myself it in music circles because it doesn't really matter unless I am 1...trying to impress someone...2 I am looking for a new Job....other than that in the industry circles it doesn't really matter at the level of rapper.....it's all about the substance you have, delivery, marketability, connection with your fanbase and most of all can you sell records and make hits....bottom line...

 

[DJFANTOM]

I say that with getting a degree you should be tryna shoot for something higher than "rapper".
Any label you sign too is not gonna allow you to write, produce, and engineer your first album any way. Your best bet would be tryna get a production deal . Or even start your own independant company. Rember you can always rap and put out a rap album later. Like dr. Dre. Puffy, ectc...... All producers and ceos who had the abiliteie to rap and put out albums, but are producers and ceos first.

 

[Cold Truth]

the one thing that will benefit you is that your expanded knowledge will allow you to do more work on your project, hopefully increasing your earnings. you wont have to hire outside producers for one, so thats a nice stack right there, and second you can handle a lot of the engineering tasks with maybe an assistant if you are good enough.... so maybe you will save a little..

HOWEVER, the label may very well want you to keep focused on just rapping and producing. that frees you up, less work, less stress.... it could go either way honestly.

that said, the way it will benifit you the most would be starting your own independant label. if you have those degrees, maybe it will help you get a small business loan to start with, invest in building a studio or studio time at a decent one.... do not limit yourself to what the industry itself offers you. especially with taht knowledge, because it will be wasted and pointless for you to get that degree if your sole purpose is to get more $$$ from a label. dream big, malice.

 

[J-malice]

aight let me re-state the question...im goin for a degree in recording not some shit like batony or some shit like that...the other thing is its just a question, ive been plannin on startin my record company from the get go. im just lookin at options to fall back on. and the whole question was assumin that i had good lyrics delivery and the whole nine...would someone of equal talent (minus the recording arts degree + knowledge of the industry and training) get the same advance as i would on the contract...just a question.

 

[Cold Truth]

its possible, because they may see more potential for a profit, but being a new artsist you have zero leverage unless you moved serious units on your own. i doubt it would make a difference to be honest......

 

[J-malice]

aight bet so in addition should i do my regular hustle on da pavement movin my shit, gettin as big of a fanbase as i can before i go to any labels...but then again if the fanbase is big enough i should jus keep my own damn record label goin...aight im straight now.

 

[God]

No.

It doesn't matter whether you have a degree or not in recording. That is such little leverage in a negotiation, it is negligible.

If you are a new rapper, I can out-manoeuvre you by any and which way I want to, because I know that I have so much more bargaining power in my arsenal. I'll even stall negotiations with you to make you "afraid" that I'll back out of the deal. I'll talk to your manager w/o you knowing and cut a side deal with him to to convince you that you're wrong and I'm right. There are a multitude of things I can do to reduce your bargaining power in a negotiation. Normally new artists tend to get the short end of the stick on their first contract.

People that do these negotiations for a record company are shrewd and have been doing it for a while. Most people don't stand a chance unless you or your representation are friends with them. I think the best leverage is a bidding-war between labels for an artist. That's almost always gives a better than shite contract for the artist.

Good luck.

Sincerely,
God

 

[J-malice]

thank you thank you, just what i needed to hear.

so lets try to bring in some real figures to the picture...does anyone know about how much an artist would get on his first contract?

what is considered a good advance and a bad advance?

 

[God]

The larger the advance, the better IF...

The contract itself has wicked repayment of services in it... like tour support, recording, videos.

You can have a 1 million USD/EU advance, and a majority chunk can be taken back through costs defined in the contract and incurred by the artist. You may even owe the record company money if the contract is bad.

One hand giveth, the other taketh away.

It's just the music biz! Happens all the time!

Sincerely,
God